Useful line reinstatement

A few comments and questions were brought to my mind after reading the interview with England’s Economic Heartland’s Martin Tugwell ( RAIL 851).

I know many letters to the editor suggest all sorts of rail schemes, but as far as the East West Rail project goes I feel the reinstatement of the line from Northampton to Market Harborough would seem to be obvious.

It would give a direct link ■ between the ever-growing conurbations of Leicester and Northampton.

From my understanding, the ■ trackbed is intact for almost the entire route except for the approaches to Market Harborough.

I appreciate the Northampton ■ and Lamport Railway may not agree with my suggestion.

The opportunity for through ■ journeys from the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the North East to the West and South West, without traversing Birmingham and the awkwardness of the Kettering/ Wellingborough/Bedford/Bletchley extended route, would seem beneficial.

With the establishment of HS2 ■ and the easing of paths on the West Coast Main Line, the Northampton/Milton Keynes/ Bletchley corridor could be used very effectively by these crosscountry services.

Ben Jones mentioned the ■ Finsbury Park-Canonbury link line, which gives connections to both Stratford/Whitchapel and south

London. This would seem a very obvious area for Crossrail 3 with little cost, although perhaps I don’t understand what the definition of a London Crossrail Project is.

I keep hearing and reading that the East Coast franchise can never be as successful as its West Coast cousin, and I was wondering if my basic assertions as to why it fails are correct (apart from its forecasted passenger growth never materialising):

Is the Welwyn Viaduct and the line north as far as just south of Knebworth a real pinchpoint for train pathways?

Pendolinos versus Class 91s is no match?

Equivalent populations of conurbations at similar distances from London are not matched - Peterborough (184,000) versus Birmingham (1.1 million)? Andy Rossiter, Northwich